Immediate Family

About Mary Barnes of Farmington, convicted witch

Mary Barnes was born ABT 1631 in Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA. She died 6 FEB 1662 in Hartford County, Connecticut, USA. ALT January 18, 1663.. Her maiden name has been given as Needham & Brockett. Neither are proven.Mary's daughter Sarah married John Scovel (aka Scovell, Scovill or Scoville) on March 29, 1666, in Farmington. Mary the "witch" and Thomas Barnes had at least two other kids - Joseph and Benjamin. (Thomas then married again and had more kids.)

The tragic scenes, which closed this horrible episode of our local history, can be all too clearly imagined. Mary Sanford was convicted first, and was not long detained in jail. Like some weird spectre of the spirit world, she disappeared. Goodwife Barnes was confined three weeks, for which Daniel Garret, the jailkeeper, was allowed 21s., to be paid by Goodman Barnes. The jailor was also allowed 6s. a week for keeping Nathaniel and Rebecca Greensmith, to be paid out of his estate. His inventory states that he was executed January 25, 1662-3.2 Hutchinson quotes the diary of Goffe, the regicide, under the date January 20th, as saying "three witches were condemned at Hartford."

2 i. Sarah BARNES was born 1650 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died AFT 1700 in Haddam, Middlesex Co., Connecticut. She married John SCOVILLE 29 MAR 1666 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. He was born 1635.

4 iii. Benjamin BARNES was born 24 JUL 1653 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 24 APR 1731 in Waterbury, New Haven Co., Connecticut. He married Elizabeth Kimberly MALLORY. He married Sarah INGERSOLL ABT 1684 in Farmington, Hartford, CT.

5 iv. Hannah BARNES was born 1657 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut, and died 1663.

Note:

She was convicted of witchcraft and executed according to records at "Particular Court of Connecticut" convened 6 Jan 1662/3. A jury found her guilty and she was one of the last persons executed for this "crime". Her husband had to pay the costs of keeping her in jail amounting to 21 shillings, per Fred BARNES of Fairfield, CA citing "The Ancestry of Fanny BARNES and her husband Thomas KNIGHT," Prestige Printers, 1989. The foregoing is confirmed by Hal & Carma FERGUSON in their e-mail which reads:

"I am a descendant of Thomas Barnes (1615) m.Mary Needham (executed for being a witch) and Mary Andrews. I have a large file and would like to compare records if you are interested. Hal"

Direct lineage to an accused “witch” may make you eligible for membership in the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches. This is a society of women who claim lineage to one of the individuals who were accused in early America before 31 December 1699. It is a genealogical society that seeks to preserve the names of those accused. Check out their website at: http://www.adeaw.us/